$51,761. THAT is the total amount, between our two indiegogo fundraisers, that you all were able to raise in a mere FIVE days... FIVE days!!!! Because you and others like you chose to give back, we have been able to serve 7,394 free, hot meals to people in New York and New Jersey who have no power and, in some of the worst cases, no homes.
You all are incredible and from the very bottoms of our hearts, we thank you for your incredible generosity.
Today, ten days after Super Storm Sandy struck, many are still living without lights and heat so we are continuing to serve via our partnership with The NYC Mayor's Fund to Advance NYC and several corporate sponsors. If you would still like to help bring hot meals to NY-ers, you can donate to the Mayors Fund and ask them to earmark the money for food truck emergency outreach.
Thank you and take care.
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Overview
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the New York City Food Truck Association (NYCFTA) worked with Jetblue to deliver over 20,000 meals to our neighbors in NY and NJ without power. Inspired, we decided to reach out to the community to keep the outreach going in the most severely affected areas on the coast of Staten Island, Queens, & Brooklyn. In just two days, the global community responded in great force and we were able to raise over $27,000, more than TRIPLING the amount we anticipated. We are incredibly thankful and want to keep the momentum going as there are still thousands without power.
Here is how we've helped on the ground so far:
On Friday 11/2, Jetblue gave out hot meals to 11k people without power in Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn via 12 sponsored trucks.
On Saturday 11/3, Jetblue distributed hot meals to 10k people in Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Hoboken, NJ, via 11 sponsored 11 trucks.
On Sunday 11/4 Jetblue distributed hot meals to 4k people in the Rockaways via 4 food trucks. NYC Food Truck Association raised money so fast from people like you via our last promotion, we were able to get 2 trucks out to deliver 1k more meals the same day.
On Monday 11/5, we have eight trucks out to distribute hot meals to 3k people in Staten Island, the Rockaways, and Redhook.
Many individuals and businesses have written and asked if it is still possible to donate... and the answer is: Yes you can! And we will put your money to use immediately getting hot meals to those who need them.
What We Need
Food trucks are small businesses that are run by resourceful and caring entrepreneurs. They have the desire and infrastructure to help, but not the resources to do as much as they might like. Working with sponsors and the larger community helps us make a larger impact in helping those who are still suffering from the storm. We are looking for sponsorships to pay for food and fuel for food trucks to go out and serve communities in NYC that were most affected by Super Storm Sandy.
- A hot meal from a food truck costs about $7
- We are hoping to raise $7,000 to distribute 1,000 meals tomorrow
- All the money will go towards food and fuel for food trucks to sponsor outreach (minus the administrative costs of indiegogo)
If we cannot raise the full amount we will simply put the money raised towards food and fuel for trucks to donate what they can
What You Get
Depending on the amount you contribute you can get all sorts of fun goodies like free high-fives from your favorite truck, a social media shout out as a contributor, or even the ability to choose your favorite NYCFTA truck to serve in an affected communuity.
The Impact
Many communities around NYC have been entirely destroyed by Super Storm Sandy. A hot meal is a small way to help those who have lost power, water, telephone access, and possibly even their home have a moment of comfort.
- We can move fast and get help out to those who need it quickly.
- We have been running outreach to affected communities for the past two days and have delivered more than 20,000 hot meals to those in need.
- Just check @nycfoodtruck for all the positive reports from the field about how this outreach has been received so far in areas affected by Sandy
Other Ways You Can Help
Even if you can’t contribute, it doesn’t mean you can’t help:
Thanks for taking the time to checkout and support the work we've been doing.
